Last week I did not work on any “serious” art projects, although I did finish up something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I have wanted to make a one page mini zine for years now, probably since 2004 when I first saw one. For various reasons, I never got around to it until now.
The front cover of my one page mini zine.
It was nothing fancy, just a small series of pen and ink drawings pasted to a sheet of paper and photocopied. They were nature drawings from around my house, sketched quickly.
Making the paste-up using a super old lightbox that I've had for years.
Below I scanned my photocopy and arranged the pages in order for you to see. These drawings all fit onto one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper.
Yesterday my mom, sister and I went to Old Sturbridge Village because they were giving free admission to all mothers. It was a nice afternoon and we saved $75.
The gazebo in the herb garden.
Some unfired pottery.
I always wanted a canopy bed as a kid.
Looking out the window in the "rich people's house."
The pond and covered bridge.
I haven’t been there in twenty years and it was just as I remembered it. I left with lots of potential reference photos and the general impression that I was born in the wrong century.
This is my favorite time of year to be outside appreciating the subtleties of nature. Springtime is the best time to experience the color Green in many different variations. The spring landscape is gorgeous here in New England.
The View from Poet's Seat Tower in Greenfield, MA
Above is a photo I took yesterday from the top of Poet’s Seat Tower. I made a mini sketch of the view from the lower part of the tower on a manila tag. It was an experiment using my Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and some colored pencils. The pen works great on this paper (no smudging unlike some other papers I have tried), although there isn’t enough tooth for the colored pencils.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my personality and how I am nothing like the stereotypical “artist personality.” I took a Myers-Briggs test and I came back as ISTJ (introvert, sensing, thinking, judging). I am very serious and organized. I am ultra-dependable. I see things in black and white and I have a need to follow the rules (sometimes too rigidly!). I love my personality, but sometimes I can get too intense and that’s why I love art so much, because it lets me “depressurize” myself.
The drawing is based on an old photo of a stream taken while crossing over a bridge. I believe it was in Northern Italy. I drew it the other night after Cate had gone to sleep. She has been going to bed around seven o’clock every night so I have some extra time in the evenings these days.
“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.
“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.
“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.
This little piece depicts one of the many waterfalls that empty into the Green River. After Hurricane Irene, my husband and I drove around to survey the damage and I snapped a photo that I used as a reference. The river and the streams were flowing a lot faster than normal, which made for a beautiful scene.
I just sent this off to Moss, Norway for the second Twitter Art Exhibit, organized by David Sandum. You may remember that I submitted a painting for the first Twitter Art Exhibit as well, back in 2010. This time, the money raised is going towards the Women’s Crisis Center in Moss. I met David on Twitter a few years ago and he’s a nice guy and great artist. I highly recommend following him if you use Twitter. There’s still time to participate in the exhibit as the deadline is March 30th.
I stayed with my grandfather (Papou) when I was in college and for a few years afterward. He passed away this past year, and his house was recently sold. I’ve always loved his house. It was a simple ranch, but it was nicely decorated with lots of original art.
The landscaping was impeccable. He had mini palm, orange and fig trees out on the patio in the summer and kept them in his heated garage in the winter. He had lovely, mature Japanese maple trees.
Even though I will miss him more than any thing, I will truly miss his house. It was always there and available for me to stop in any time. If I ever build my own house someday, I think I will build a replica of his house.
I went through my old drawings and put together a flickr set of some of the drawings that I made at Papou’s house over the years.
I seem to be having more and more ideas for new projects than ever, but less and less time to work on them. A few days ago I saw this article titled Balancing Parenthood and Your Art Career by Lori McNee, and I felt like “the universe” was reading my mind.
I’m trying to think of ways to do more work, or rather, to finish more work. I feel that I need to work faster, or at least in a less tedious manner. Interestingly, I’ve been feeling like this for a long time now, well before Cate came along.
“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by 
